Electronic strobe lights are popular in the theatrical lighting and special effects market. In many applications, multiple strobe lights are located in various places in a facility, and they are all controlled from a central location. Typically, both frequency and speed of flashing can be adjusted as desired from the control location.
Strobe lights and other theatrical devices are often controlled using a serial transmission format adopted by the USITT, known as DMX-512. This standard is widely used to control lighting and other products such as color changers and fog machines in the theatrical field. Using serial data transmission, a plurality of devices can be controlled by a single line.
Each strobe light in a system using the DMX-512 format recognizes commands directed to it, and decodes and executes the commands. One control system for such strobe lights is disclosed in Tulk et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,039. However, this system uses one microprocessor to perform both the command recognition function and the command execution function. The system also has some limitations in terms of cost, complexity and features. Moreover, strobe intensity is controlled by a ramp generator, which of course is an analog signal. While analog control is generally acceptable, its precision is limited.
Thus, there is a need for control systems for strobe lights and other theatrical devices which are controlled through serial data links and are simpler and less expensive than known devices. There is also a need for strobe lights and control systems for strobe lights which more precisely control intensity, and have more features than existing devices.